Thailand bans inflight eating and drinking on domestic flights

Airlines will be prohibited from handing out newspapers and magazines

Flying dry: Thai Airways aircraft (Thai Airways)

Passengers on domestic flights in Thailand will not be allowed food or drink on board in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.

“It is forbidden to eat and drink during flight operations,” the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (EKAT) warned airlines.

Domestic carriers are told: “In case of emergency, crew may consider providing drinking water to passengers, which is to be done in an area as far away from the other passengers as possible.”

Airlines will also be prohibited from handing out newspapers and magazines, though the safety card will continue to be available.

The aviation authority said: “Currently, the Covid-19 epidemic is increasing in many areas.  “The government has set public health measures to raise the level of surveillance and preventive measures, which will be an important part of resolving the above situation quickly.”

The new rules take effect from New Year’s Eve.

Thailand has recorded 6,700 cases since the coronavirus crisis began. That total corresponds to three hours of new cases in the UK in the most recent day’s figures.

Sixty-one people in Thailand have died from Covid-19.

The two longest domestic flights in Thailand link the northern city of Chiang Mai in the north with the island of Phuket and the mainland resort of Krabi in the south. Flights on both routes take two hours.

In October, Thai Airways’ catering division launched a ground-based experience, serving meals in a flight-themed restaurant.